Page 72 of Love, Untangled

She did, however, want something of Carlo’s when she went back to her house, so she padded into his closet.

She opened his top drawer and yanked out some socks. They’d be too big, but at least she wouldn’t have to shove her feet into shoes without them. Another pair of socks shifted, and Pen found herself staring down at a framed photograph of Carlo and a pretty redhead. They were laughing, their arms twined around each other, clearly deeply in love.

“Oh,” Pen whispered. A deep pang hit her heart. “That’s what I want.”

Carlo loved Cora. He said that easily, often. He didn’t love Pen. Not really.

She didn’t know how long she stood there, creating a fantasy of what could have been in her head, but eventually she jerked from her daydream. She dropped the socks back into the drawer.

There was nothing for her here.

She didn’t bother to look at Carlo as he continued to slumber in his bed. What was the point?

She refused to remain with a man simply because he’d been kind to her. She wrote that in a note that she left on his kitchen table. Then, with quick, light steps, she headed back toward her house.

Hers.

Not her mother’s. Pen refused to let Serena take this from her too.

Chapter 37

Carlo

Waking to the quiet house, Carlo’s stomach flipped, then dipped low.

“Sunshine?”

He rose, noting the open bathroom and closet doors. She must be downstairs, maybe getting some coffee.

He took the stairs as quickly as possible, his heart stuttering when he noted the empty kitchen. He swallowed, eying the paper on his table, tucked under the edge of the bowl of apples he’d set there because Pen said they were pretty.

He read the note, his heart thumping a mad dash in his chest. He read it again, trying to breathe through the ache.

He set it down and then collapsed into one of the chairs.

“Dammit.” He scrubbed his fingers through his hair. “Dammit,” he moaned.

He didn’t know how long he sat there but eventually he headed toward the coffeepot. While the coffee was percolating, he stared in the direction of Penelope’s house.

“This isn’t over, Sunshine. It can’t be.”

He drank his cup of coffee, then a second one while he got dressed.

Once it was late enough, he called Sue, the therapist he hadn’t gone back to visit since his last disastrous meeting. He left a message.

“Sue, this is Carlo di Laurentiis. I, ah, I need to see you. I’m…well, I really managed to make a mess of my life. I’m hoping you can help me untangle all this love I have—make Penelope see how much I need her.” He blew out a breath. “Yeah, so maybe you could fit me in?”

Then he got in his truck and drove to Blazers.

Marvin wasn’t there, but Adam was. He’d been named fire chief a few weeks ago. He was earnest and hardworking—a dedicated first responder.

“Hi, Adam. Do you have a minute?”

The other man looked up from his paperwork and nodded. He stretched as he leaned back in his chair. “Sure. I could use the break. I’m not used to all this paperwork.”

Carlo chuckled but it was halfhearted. “I remember those days.”

“Right. You were a lieutenant or something in Tahoe?” Adam asked.

---